To what extent did external influences shape what modernist design became in Europe in the 1920’s?
Focusing on chair designs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer.

In design, external influences have always played a vital role in any given trend. In the 1920’s, an era commonly referred to as the Machine Age , modernist design followed a very focused approach: a desire to create a better world. In this essay, I will make a brief overview of the socio-economic situation of this time period, with a short introduction to the life of the two practitioners whose work I will analyse: Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I will deliver an examination of their most famous designs, by considering three major themes: rejection of…show more content…

With this particular feature, he was able to achieve the springy feature of the chair, which was further enhanced by the bendy properties of the tubular steel. The design followed the need, whilst maintaining a neat and well-constructed frame. It gave the user a comfortable and luxurious product. Mies van der Rohe’s well-known Barcelona Chair (Image 3) had a scissor-like structure, which gave the chair stability, while maintaining a luxurious and minimal look. The chrome polished steel was again very appealing in a geometrical and unconventional way. It shows an embrace of innovation.

Contextual factors are a big influence on practitioners’ designs. However, the influence of other designers’ work should also be noted. For example; Dutch designer Mart Stam’s cantilevered design.
As previously mentioned, Breuer introduced tubular steel into home furnishing in 1925 with his Wassily Armchair (Image 2). In 1926, however, Mart Stam introduced his W1 chair (Image 5); (made also of tubular steel), a cantilevered design with no back legs, which allowed for the tubular steels properties to be fully taken advantage of. After this particular property of tubular steel had been introduced, designers began thinking along similar lines. Considering these facts, it can be said that both Mies van der Rohe and Breuer were influenced and predisposed to go along similar lines as Mart Stam.
In 1928, Breuer came up with the B 64 Cesca chair (Image 1), which was criticised as

Prohibition in the 1920’s
During the 1920’s there were many things that were detrimental to the country. In this era, in the United States of America, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the 1920’s there was no legal drinking age. In fact after the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S constitution, the transportation, manufacture and sale of alcohol was prohibited by the United States; Hence the name “Prohibition”. The impact the prohibition…

Historians labeled the 1920’s “The Roaring Twenties” because it was a time of fun and prosperity. The 1920’s did have a lot of exciting times and overall the label “The Roaring Twenties” is accurate to describe the experience of most Canadians. The 1920’s were a good time for women, social aspects and the economy of Canada.
The 1920’s introduced new ways for women to prosper and have more fun. Women in growing numbers became involved in physical activities and organized sports (Granatstein, 118)…

GOOD TIMES IN 1920S
By
ERIN WHYTE
CHC2DI
for Ms. McIntyre
th
March 24
, 2015
Southwood Secondary School
The 1920’s are often labelled the “Roaring 20s” because the decade was full of fun
times and prosperity. The years were exciting and full of good changes for everyone. The
label “Roaring Twenties” does accurately describe the experience of most Canadians in the
1920s. The Canadian economy boomed…

03 October 2014
1920s
For the United States of America, the decade following the end of World War I was a
time of profound change. The prosperity of the 1920s was a time for the growing nation to
experience crucial transformations in the way it earned its keep, organized work affairs, and
enjoyed leisure activities. Attributes like technology, business corporations, organized crime,
women’s rights, equality, and media were developing and becoming more prominent aspects of
daily life in the 1920s. The…

Mimi Turrentine
American Literature
Mr. Ealy
6 May 2011
The Carelessness of the 1920’s
F. Scott Fitzgerald “coined the term ‘Jazz Age’ to describe the 1920’s decade of exuberance, creativity, and sometimes troubling change” (Howes 81). He was an iconic author of the 1920’s and thereby captured the mood of the times, one of extreme carelessness. In Fitzgerald’s works, a reoccurring idea is that of youthful recklessness, especially The Great Gatsby. During these times, known as the “roaring…

but they still get the blame. Many people who do not have the correct intentions on doing something do not get blamed at all. In the movie Chicago, the costumes contribute to the idea of corruptness during the jazz age of the 1920’s
To begin with, women in the 1920’s took a major role in this corruptness. For example, women began to change their overall look to get material benefits from admirers or lovers. Starting with their clothing, they began to wear more revealing clothes that showed off…

African American’s 1920’s and 30’s
In the 1920’s the “New Negro” emerged. It consisted of “African Americans who challenged the caste system that confined dark-skinned Americans to the lowest levels of society” (pp633). The “African American Intellectual W.E.B.Du Bois and the National Associations for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)” (pp633), were looking to pass a law that would fight against the violence the blacks were being subjected too. In 1917 Marcus Garvey launched the Universal…

Adriaen van der Spelt and Frans van Mieris, 1658. Oil on paper. 18.25 inches by 25.25 inches. The Art Institute of Chicago.
There’re many ways to express your feelings, your thoughts, and your emotions. You can write a book, you can compose a song, or you can draw a painting. To Rachel Ruysch, Adriaen van der Spelt and Frans van Mieris, drawing is just a perfect way. Ruysch has shown her talent and her artistic feelings in a famous work of art - Flowers Still Life. Adriaen van der Spelt…

James Van Der Zee
In case there is someone out there looking forward to become a celebrity, then he or she must be able to remain focused in life by emulating James Van Der Zee. This is a man who defied all odds and today is renowned for his great performance in photographic art. His work revolved around the culture of the Africans Americans. This artist was popular because of the way he captured the lifestyles of the middle class blacks using his camera especially during the Harlem renaissance…

Words 1367 - Pages 6

* Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with this website.